For the first time, Windows Phone 8 formally supports storage expansion via microSD, giving you the opportunity to store photos, music, TV shows and movies on a storage card rather than in internal storage.
Not all Windows Phone 8 handsets support microSD expansion. If yours does, the microSD slot will typically be found near or under the device’s battery and/or near the SIM card slot. For example, on the Nokia Lumia 820, the microSD slot can be found under the battery.
To use microSD storage, shut down your handset and insert the card into the slot.
Then, reassemble the device and turn it on. When Windows Phone 8 fully boots, you’ll be prompted to store new pictures, music, and videos on the microSD card instead of in internal storage.
You can later change this configuration in Settings, System. The entry you’re looking for is Phone Storage.
Here, you’ll find graphical depictions of the storage used in the internal and microSD storage, and options for choosing where to store new music and videos and pictures. (In each case, you can chose between phone and SD card.)
To get a more detailed view of what is occupying the space on your internal storage or microSD storage, tap the respective bar. If you tap SD card, a secondary view, broken down with music + videos, pictures, other, and free space will appear. (Phone also offers a System entry.) There are options for removing and formatting the SD card as well.
If you do choose to storage content on your microSD card, you’ll see a small SD card icon next to each item in Music + Video.
You can also choose to move compatible items from internal storage to the microSD card. For example, in Photos, you can select the item or items you wish to move and then choose Save to SD card from the app bar menu.
You can also drag and drop content between your PC and the microSD storage on the phone, or between the internal storage and microSD storage on the phone, using File Explorer. Both the internal storage and microSD storage show up as discrete entries there, providing simple access to either.
